hARK, LAND OF HUMBLE MEN
OWLBRIDGE
Once known for it's hall of
heros in the town of Aberdeen. Hark is now largely farmland and smattered ruins. The only holdout being the far southern city SARADROSS AND OWLBRIDGE. oWLBRIDGE IS BARELY ABLE TO CALL ITSELF A "CITY" AS IT CONSISTS OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF TALLER BUILDINGS AND A FORT. hOWEVER THE PEOPLE HERE ARE PROUD, STRONG, AND RESOLUTE. tHEY HAVE DEFENDED THERE CITY FROM THE IRONCIRCLE AND COLLORA BOTH AND ENJOY THERE HARD EARNED INDEPENDENCE. The rule by lotacracy, randomly selecting from there population a group of 5 who are advised by experts and than debate until they arrive at a consensus. all decisions of governance are made by this method, from criminal trials to local taxes.
fELSHIRE
The ancestral home of the elves of crudilex, felshire has stood deep in the bramblefen since the second godsbirth, the age of beasts when this city was the crown of the world, WHEN HUMANS FIRST ARRIVED IN THE WORLD, AND ONLY FELL FROM POWER WHEN FELSHIRE'S KING, hERROPHANT SAW TO SCOURGE HUMANS FROM CRUDILEX AND BECAME THE EVIL LICH, rASH'gILTHUNE IN THE AGE OF MAGIC. fELSHIRE IS A CITY PLUCKED FROM TIME, NOT LITERALLY, BUT HISTORICALLY. iT'S ELVES HAVE LIVED THE SAME LIVES FOR OVER 5000 YEARS AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO, EVEN WITH THE FALL OF THE FEYWILD ON THE DAY OF DAWN.
tHE ELVES OF fELSHIRE ARE WELL AWARE OF THERE HISTORICAL ANIMOSITY TO HUMANS IN CRUDILEX, EVEN IF HUMANS HAVE LONG FORGOTTEN THE GENOCIDE THERE FALLEN KING ENACTED UPON THEM IN THE SECOUND GODSBIRTH. aND THEY HARBOR A SECRET FEAR OF RETROBUTION FROM THE PEOPLES OF CRUDILEX. THE CITY OF FELSHIRE IS DIFFICULT, OR IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH WITHOUT ALREADY KNOWING THE ROUTES BY WHICH TO NAVIGATE THE DENCE AND DANGROUS BRAMBLEFEN WHICH HARBORS IT.
tHE BAMBLEFEN
the TWISTED WEB OF VINES AND THORNS TOWERING OVER THE RUINS OF THE FIRST HUMAN SETTLEMENT, NOW REDUCED TO ROCKS AND BOLDERS BY THE HORRORS SUMMONED BY THE ELVEN KING HARROPHANT. A SINGLE MASSIVE ROSE GROWING OUT OF A RUINED CASTLE IS THE ONLY FLICKER OF BEAUTY IN THIS OTHERWISE DIRE, TERRIBLE DEN OF MONSTERS.
The burning gate is the name given by the elves to the event that caused this scar to open up on crudilex. one that even today is magically repulsive to humans, giving them feelings of unease when approaching this cursed place. It a terrible way, hierophant succeeded in creating a small piece of the world where crudilex is completely without humans.
tHE RUINS OF ABERDEEN
Once the proud city where formed the band of heros by the manicure of "the wrecking crew" formed. Aberdeen was a brazen settlement famous for its collage of heros. FORMED IN SECRET TO FIND FORTOLD ADVENTURERERS WHO WERE SAID TO BE STRONG ENOUGH TO PREVENT A CATYCLYSIM THAT WOULD ARISE FROM THE DOOR OF IV, HIDDEN WITHIN THE SCHOOL.
sUCH A EVENT DID HOWEVER Occur. CALLED THE DAY OF DAWN. tHE ENSUING EVENTS NEARLY DESTROYED ALL OF CRUDILEX AND THIS CITY WAS THERE ABSOLUTE EPICENTER. tHE WORLD WAS FOREVER CHANGED, AND ABERDEEN WAS WIPED OUT COMPLETELY. IT'S FAMOUS CATHEDERAL OF THE PANTHEON ALL THAT REMAINED SANK DEEP INTO THE EARTH AND BECAME "tHE SUNLESS CITIDEL" ALL OTHER EVIDENCE OF THIS CITY HAVING EXISTED AT ALL IS NOW LITTLE MORE THAN FOUNDATIONAL RUBBLE AND ROCKS.
oAKLAKE
tHE QUIET, HUMBLE TOWN OF OAKLAKE IS A COLLORAN SETTLEMENT BUILT TO CATALOGE THE DISCOVERIES MADE FROM THE NEARBY REGIONS, MAINLY THE SUNLESS CITIDEL. iT IS CONSTRUCTED IN THE HIGH ROCKY FORESTS NORTH OF FORDUMS RIFT AND ACTS AS A SORT OF "finale REST" BEFORE MAKING THE LONG TRIP UP THE MOUNTAIN TO ABERDEEN.
OAKLAKE HAS ONLY HAS 16 BUILDINGS AND FEWER RESIDENTS, BUT IS A PERFECT PLACE TO VANISH FROM THE EYES OF CRUDILEX AND BE COMPLETELY OVERLOOKED, SOMETHING THE TOWNSPEOPLE ARE WELL AWARE OF
dILLAN'S LODGE
On the border of colloran controlled land but still south of the river that splits collora and northlend one can find dillian's lodge. Built along the river, deep in the redwoods peoples without a home, or a place can find on there. Brother dillians is a kind old gnome cleric of Vaaribi who delights in helping those who need it most. He is quoted as saying he's work in service to his goddess has blessed him such that all who need for a community seem to simply find there way to the lodge.
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The people of the lodge are varied but many awoken animals, the arians of northlend, vaaribi's own creations, live and protect the lodge fervently.
Dunwel fen
Starkly contrasting to the provinces on his border dunwel fen is a foreboding, mysterious place ripe with occult magics and eldritch omens. home once to the Luvo coven, The eldritch cult of the unnamed, and the evil wish drake drakul. it is a place forever radiant with power. Outsiders are recommended to avoid the bog at all costs, and no roads lead into its untraversable reaches.
The bog is occupied only by witches, horrors, and secrets best left forgotten.
The statue garden
one of the stranger pieces of crudilex lore is the statue garden in denwel fen.
dEEP IN THE BOGS AND SWAMPS OF THE FEN IS A SMALL GRASSES WELD ON A SORT OF ISLAND SURROUNDED BY THIS TREES AND BRUSH. eASILY MISSED AND MORE EASLY FORGOTTEN, THE STATUE GARDEN IS BELIVED TO BE THE LAST LOCATION OF A ANCIENT ELEMENTAL CULTURE, HUMANOID STONE BEINGS WHO IT IS SAID ARE EXPIRENCEING THERE LIVES AT SUCH A SLOW SPEED THEY SEEM TO BE STATUES.
WHEN IT IS MADE CLEAR THAT MORTALS MOVE SO FAST TO THEM THEY CAN NOT EVEN SEE THEM, WHICH RAISES MANY EXITENTICAL QUESTIONS, COULD THERE BE SIMILAR BEINGS THAT TO MORTAL-KIND MOVE SO QUICKLY THEY LIVE IN A COMPLETELY DIFFRENT TEMPORAL REAILTY, LIKE US AND THE STATUES.
jILDER
Once the home of the primordial dragon and defender of the Aquan portal vel'jilder. The city was rendered to ruins in the age of adventure the 5th godsbirth by a cult called the necromuntis. Reborn in the ruins a small collage of scholors now calls the city home and works to teach the people of crudilex the rich history of the jilder and the world.
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While the jilder archeological collage teaches histroy predominantly, it has grown to become crudilex's leading non-arcane school along side the azmik university of dolver.
nEW IRONLOFT
The last fortidied outpost of the colloran royalists new ironloft is a bastion fortress city with high walls surrounded by deep trenches and a large occupying colloran military
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New ironloft was built the the ironcircle in fifth godsbirth to house the refugees of the dolver plague that claimed most of Sothern collora. Built at the edge of the savanna it's value as a military outpost quickly became its identity.
cASTLE DAVEN
The holdout palace of the colloran royal family and knightguard military of dioten. Daven is a impenetrable castle built at the center of a large lake, with massive marble walls and hundreds of maned battlements.
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it is here that the colloran royalists wage there war and queen somnastra is the unquestioned leader of collora
CULTURE
Rulership
The land was ruled by the Colloran empire hARK UNLIKE OTHER VASSAL STATES OF cOLLORA HAS NO GOVERNMENTAL REPRESENTATION AT THE CAPITAL CITY.
Liberated from empirical control hark has become a lotacracy. randomly selecting from there population a group of 5 who are advised by experts and than debate until they arrive at a consensus. all decisions of governance are made by this method, from criminal trials to local taxes.
taboos
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secret societies, cults, and any such "Hidden knowledge given to few" are stamped out with impunity. Much of the strife in hark has arisen by such groups and it is now belived that anything "secret" is inherently evil.
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tERMOIL
Colloran civil war
Much of hark lies between the two colloran factions warring for it's future. PATROLS AND CLASHES ARE COMMON ALL ACROSS IT'S LANDS AND THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY IS COMPLETELY UNCERTIN.
hark Region
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The Twisted plains:
During the war of sword and fang the elves and fey weilded the powers of the land so forcefully against the invading humans that the land was ruptured and massive motes of rock erupted into the sky. wholly consuming the natural arcana that this region is completely devoid of druidic magic. No natural Devine magic or druidic spell casting of any kind can occur here. Those few who know the legends say that crudilex itself prevents it as punishment for the powers used for war in those ancient times.
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Federalist camp:
After collora's defeat in New Collora the federalists established a massive fortified frontier, a lage reinforced camp where they gathered there allies and forces together prepairing a final assult on saradross than to new ironloft and finnaly the palace of Daven itself. The camp is many miles wide and has become something of a town itself after many years with a tavern, Stables, and even a large farm.
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Fordum's Rift:
Long ago, a Legendary human hero, the barbarian Fordum led protected all humans and carved crudilex in half sending all humanities enemies sailing off on an island with the drop of his axe. The canyon "Fordum's rift" is the location where it is said the axe struck the earth.
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The Savanna of riddles:
The vast drylands between colloran and hark used to be a nearly intraversable desert in the age of Adventurers. home to only one creature, the colossus of riddles, the behemoth of earth whos battle with the Leviathan would portent the day of dawn. The giant, headless, being made of sandstone would walk the desert in a endless circle, having awoken before it's fortold enemy it wandered, and paced this valley waiting for the Leviathan to awake, the sands it tred hardening, and compressing became sandstone.
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Now, nearly 50 years later. the colossus is gone. But the path it walked remains, the sandy desert slowly healing it has become a lush savanna filled with life. The ring path which the giant walked remains as a reminder of it's mysterious history and inscrutable purpose.
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Kitendawili:
Long before only beings came to crudilex, the Aventiens called this place home. before time itself was created one of the few locations the progenitors of the world settled was Kitendawili, a society obsessed with seeing into the future.
Little to nothing of this offshoot culture is known, but perhaps the greatest of there mysteries is how did a society built upon divination magic fall? What became of it's people? The mysterious ruins of Kitendawaili depict the coleuses of riddles long before it came to the savanna. among many other such predictions it its sand stone hieroglyphs but due to it's isolated location and the conflict within the area the ruins has never been successfully explored or even entered.